Contains correspondence, notes, memoranda,
lists, reports, reference material, financial records, publications, posters,
advertisements, photographs, and a videotape relating to Edmund Berkeley and
Berkeley Enterprises. The earliest records in the collection relate to his
insurance work, the applications of symbolic logic and computing machines to
business, the formation of the Association for Computing Machinery, and his
military service at Dahlgren. Later records focus on the publications and
operations of Berkeley Enterprises as well as Berkeley's social activism.

The records were given to the Charles Babbage Institute by Berkeley
Enterprises, Inc., in cooperation with the Berkeley family.

Copyright:

CBI holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for
items covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers
may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright
law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Edmund Callis Berkeley received a BA in mathematics and logic from
Harvard University in 1930 after which he worked for Mutual Life Insurance of
New York as an actuarial clerk. In 1934 he took a position with Prudential
Insurance of America where he eventually became chief research consultant. He
joined the U. S. Navy in 1942 and worked at Dahlgren Laboratory as a
mathematician. There, he was assigned to Howard Aiken's Harvard Laboratory to
work on the sequential calculator project (Mark II).

After leaving the Navy in 1946 he returned to Prudential. In 1947 he
helped found the Eastern Association for Computing Machinery, renamed the
Association for Computing Machinery in 1948, and served as its first secretary.
At Prudential Insurance, Berkeley worked on a "hazards project" to identify the greatest modern
hazards, and the research convinced Berkeley that nuclear war was the greatest
hazard facing mankind. Prudential decided to abandon the project, and forbade
Berkeley from working on it even on his own time for fear that it would reflect
poorly on the company.

Berkeley felt it was his duty to work against nuclear war and quit
Prudential to set up his own business, Berkeley Associates, in 1948. Shortly
after the establishment of his company, Berkeley wrote one of the first books
on electronic computers for a general audience, Giant
Brains, Or Machines That Think (1949), and began research on robotics.
He published a quarterly, the Roster of Organizations in
the Field of Automatic Computing Machinery, which was soon renamed the
Computing Machinery Field, and eventually retitled
Computers and Automation. This publication
developed into a monthly journal (1951). Berkeley expanded the journal,
developed Simon, one of his first robots, and became involved in public
education in Newton, Massachusetts. He also set up correspondence courses in
general knowledge, mathematics, computers, and logic systems. In 1954, Berkeley
Associates incorporated as Berkeley Enterprises, Inc. Most of Berkeley's
efforts in publishing, teaching machines, and even his interest in fluoridation
was based on the premise that helping the common man to think logically would
lead to the end of the nuclear threat.

Berkeley Enterprises employed the talents of a number of individuals,
some of whom later gained importance in the computer and other fields. The most
notable of these was Patrick J. McGovern, Berkeley's office manager, who
eventually founded International Data Corporation (IDC). Researchers should
note that not all of the names associated with Berkeley Enterprises were real
individuals. Berkeley wrote and published under several pseudonyms, such as
Neil D. MacDonald.

Berkeley explored different avenues to supplement his finances. He
wrote articles and gave talks, did actuarial consulting, worked part time as
consultant for Information International, Inc., particularly for the Navy's
HUMRRO project on computer-assisted explanation and LISP. In addition, he
reviewed books for the Library of Science series, marketed his books, robots
(Brainiacs, Tyniacs and Geniacs), and teaching machines. He continued to write
books on computers, logic, and learning.

Berkeley was active in the peace movement and in 1958 became involved
with the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) led by Norman Cousins. The
1960 controversy over possible communists in the organization is well reflected
in correspondence between Berkeley, Norman Cousins, and Linus Pauling. Berkeley
published the Greater Boston Area SANE Newsletter, and later the Newsletter for
The Boston Committee for Disarmament and Peace. He wrote numerous articles,
letters to the editor, and letters to members of government. He was also active
in speaking on disarmament and publicizing events of the peace movement.

Collection Scope and Content Note

The Berkeley papers contain correspondence, notes, memoranda, lists,
reports, reference material, financial records, publications, and photographs
relating to Edmund C. Berkeley and Berkeley Enterprises. The earliest records
in the collection relate to his insurance work, the applications of symbolic
logic and computing machines to business, the formation of the Association for
Computing Machinery, and his military service at Dahlgren. Later records focus
on the publications and operations of Berkeley Enterprises, as well as
Berkeley's social activism.

While the collection reflects Berkeley's eclectic interests, there are
a few subjects that are prominent, such as robotics, social action groups of
the 1960s, mathematical and logic games, and computing. Material relating to
robotics and teaching machine development at Berkeley Enterprises includes
notes, manual drafts, circuit diagrams, and correspondence on development and
sales, as well as a few examples of the robot kits and teaching machines sold
by the company. The day-to-day business of Berkeley Enterprises is also well
documented through memos, financial records, and correspondence. There are some
book drafts and a preponderance of background research material. LISP files
contain manual drafts and computer printouts, but little correspondence.

Berkeley's interest in social action is demonstrated in files
containing information on approximately 175 different organizations including
files on SANE that document the growth of and relationship between peace groups
in the 1960s. The photographs are largely of Berkeley, computing machines and
components, and robots. The videotape was produced by the ACM in 1988 and
features an interview of Berkeley.

In the container list, "C & A" is
Computers and Automation, "BE" is Berkeley Enterprises, and
"ECB" is Edmund C. Berkeley.

The bulk of the collection is Edmund Berkeley's chronologically
arranged numerical subject files. Dates in the Numerical Subject Files reflect
the date of filing rather than date of contents, although they generally
correlate with each other. The original folder headings have been retained in
the list; an elaboration is provided in parentheses when appropriate. This
series contains a wide array of material, including correspondence, memos,
notes, publications, articles, and sometimes even artifacts.

These categories were subdivided numerically, and some further
subdivided numerically or alphabetically.

Around 1953 he revised this system and simply used consecutive numbers
as new subjects were filed. This leads to some confusion, particularly with his
use of hyphenated numbers that appear on the file folders. In many cases users
of this collection must check two possible number combinations for the same
subject (e.g. the subject of 4-11 is similar to 411). However, the use of
hyphens is not consistent; for example, while 4-11 is similar to 411, 4-12 is
not similar to 412. In the former case, users should check classification
number 4 (mathematics and symbolic logic) and 411 (symbolic logic and boolean
algebra in accounting.

The number "8" was used to denote
"supply file" (i.e. copies of an item
reproduced for distribution). In the early years, memos and reports for
Prudential were the only items to use this category, and the numbers following
the "8" were consecutive by date of production.
Later, there were memos and reports on almost every subject, and the number
following the "8" denoted the subject. Most of
the Prudential memos and reports were filed as "#8" ; later materials have been filed under the
second number (e.g., #8-108 is under #108). The number
"5" was used to designate notes. When the
"5" is followed by a dash and another number
(e.g., 5-10), the materials have been filed under the second number, which
denotes the subject.

Often Berkeley used letters to denote subcategories, but his use of
them was very inconsistent. Some numbers were used for two different subjects,
and these subjects are listed separately under the number.

Subject Terms

Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these
headings.

Reports & articles, 1930-1955. (#8) Box 4, Folder 1-11Note [memos & reports written for Prudential, Actuaries Club of
New York Intercompany Study Committee reports, articles by Hugo Wright, notes
and materials from classes by Quine on logic and by Schrimpf on electronic
computers, and James the intelligent robot]

General Science and Problem Solving: Mistakes & How
to Prevent Them, 1965-1970. (#225) Box 47, Folder 24-34Note [proposals, notes, correspondence with Don Pollock, Bob Taylor
and others on book based on research at ONR]

Immigration to Canada, 1965-1967. (#244) Box 48, Folder 25-26Note [correspondence, notes on The Computer Age conference, teaching
at York University, business opportunities in Canada, and immigration
materials]

Roman Catholic Church, 1957-1967. (#328) Box 53, Folder 35-54Note [correspondence, notes, brochures from Protestants and Other
Americans United, Society of Separationists, and other anti-Catholic
associations, Church and State newsletter, questionnaire development and
responses, Catholic booklists, proposal to set up Association to Americanize
the Roman Catholic Church, and newspaper clippings]

Berkeley Enterprises Publications, Pamphlets, and Books,
1937-1984Note Berkeley Enterprises Publications follow the subject files series
and are filed by publication ( "P" ) number, or
if a publication had no "P" number, then they
are filed chronologically. The author of each publication is usually noted in
parentheses unless the author was Berkeley.

Photographs and VHS Cassette, undated, 1950, and 1988Note Generally, the photographs were removed from the main numerical
subject file. The video tape was produced by the Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM) in 1988; and features Edmund Berkeley in his office as he was
interview by an ACM staff member.